Normanbys Megan Lillie is up for a top beauty blog award
A top Teesside beauty blogger is up to win a national title - and she’s given us a sample of her work in an exclusive vlog.
Megan Lillie has thousands of dedicated followers with hundreds visiting her blog Thumbelina Lillie daily.
The 20-year-old’s now been nominated for a top blogging gong at the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2014 for Best Established Beauty Blog.
And to celebrate she’s given us one of her vlogs - a video blog - on how to master milkmaid braids.
They are a hot topic on YouTube - with some videos on the subject clocking up more than 1m views.
The Teesside University marketing student, from Flatts Lane, Normaby, started blogging a couple of years ago.
“When I first went to college I remember searching online for ‘winged eyeliner’," she said.
“I read a post and then another post and thought ‘people actually do this’.
“I thought ‘that’s something I’d like to give a go’.
Megan was 18 and at Nunthorpe Academy Sixth Form at the time.
“It was a totally spontaneous thing," she said.
“I was working at Next in my gap year and thought ‘I might as well give blogging a go'."
But why Thumbelina?
“I’m only 5ft and the name just came into my head!" she said.
“I mostly do beauty and fashion with the odd lifestyle tip. I try and chuck a bit of everything in there.
“It started off with absolutely nothing! Just my mum, sister and a few friends were visiting it.
“But then I got interested in blogger’s chats on Twitter which helped to build the audience - which was also achieved through word of mouth.”
Megan’s has now got software so she can see how many people are visiting her site.
Her audience has crept up from around 30 people a day visiting her blog to between 250 to 350 people a day from across the world.
She now regularly gets sent free products to blog about from companies keen for her to give her opinion on their wares.
“I love it,” she said.
“There are so many things that I have learned through blogging - not just make-up and skin care but also in terms of photography and stuff.
“My dream is to move down to London and run it full time from a little flat.”
The awards are being held at the OXO Tower in London on Tuesday, October 7.
Megan said: “My mum is coming with me - although she can’t come to the actual event - and we’re going to spend a couple days in London.
“My friends and family can’t believe it - and before I was blogging they had no clue it existed.”
She added: “I can’t wait.”
Originally published in Gazettelive.co.uk 05 Sept 2014